Gerry Borreggine is the president and CEO of licensing group Therapedic International. It’s a position he’s held for 20 years. Prior to that, he was a retailer in his family business, 40 Winks Sleep Shops. He has been a longtime ISPA member. He has served as chair of ISPA’s board and its Better Sleep Council. In his spare time, he and his wife, Regina, enjoy traveling, fine wines and dining. Since 2008, he has been the rhythm guitar player of the ISPA house band, the Insominiaczzz.
BedTimes: Tell us about your bedtime routine.
Gerry Borreggine: I am an early-to-bed and early-to-rise person. I don’t really have a routine, but I try to read a bit on my iPad before I doze off. I find reading, doing social media or watching music videos helps to relax and tire me out before I actually go to sleep.
BT: What do you avoid before bed?
GB: Caffeine. I drink coffee in the morning only, but I avoid it after dinner.
BT: How many hours of sleep do you typically get?
GB: I shoot for seven hours. Therapedic worked with a sleep researcher who determined that people who sleep seven hours live longer than those who sleep less or more than that. So, seven is my number.
BT: Pets in the bed – yay or nay?
GB: We have two female kitty cats, Fluffy and Abbey. Fluffy (shown) is her mommy’s girl. She always positions herself next to my wife, Regina, in bed. Abbey is more of a daddy’s girl. She typically lays herself across or next to my feet. So, we have a lot of company in our bed. And, of course, we worry more about disrupting their sleep than we do our own. If someone took a photo of us sleeping, we’d look like two contortionists sleeping around their cats.
BT: Barefoot or socks?
GB: One of the great paradoxes of my life is socks. I probably own more socks than any man alive. Yet, I rarely wear socks unless it’s a formal dress-up occasion like a market. So, I would never wear socks to bed. Just the thought of it makes me sweat.
BT: What’s on your nightstand?
GB: An iPad, a bottle of water, a digital clock and a tube of lip balm.
BT: Are you a napper?
GB: I do nap when I can. Just a 30-minute nap, even if it’s on an airplane, gives me a boost for the rest of the day. When I am king of the world, I will make afternoon napping mandatory for all my subjects. It’s a good thing.
BT: What are your best sleep tips?
GB: I observe all the typical tips — dark room, cool temperature, great sleep surface and pillow, etc. …
BT: What are your secrets for getting a good night’s sleep while traveling?
GB: I try to replicate my home setting as best as possible. The curve ball on the road is always the mattress — it’s never as good as home.
BT: Is there anything else you would like to add?
GB: One of the great things about our industry is how educated the consumer has become regarding the benefits of getting a good night’s sleep. And we sell one of the principle solutions for them to achieve that good night’s sleep. How cool is that?
